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April 29, 2026
 

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A Japanese prosecutor, who uses the pseudonym Hikari, speaks during a news conference in Tokyo on March 31. Hikari alleges she was raped by her former boss, the former head of the Osaka District Public Prosecutor's Office.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Prosecutor who accused boss of rape to resign after request for probe rejected
Very few women in Japan speak out about sexual assault, but the prosecutor came forward in 2024 to accuse Osaka's then-top prosecutor of raping her six years earlier.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
99 accused in Japan in international crackdown on child sexual abuse material
Of the 99 people, 25 are junior high school and high school students involved in cases including sharing explicit images of classmates with friends.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Zoo employee admits to burning wife¡¯s body in incinerator
A zoo in Hokkaido has postponed its summer opening as it cooperates with the investigation.
Tokyo police arrested a 47-year-old man on Saturday on suspicion of killing a 29-year-old woman in an apartment in Tokyo's Roppongi district in 2018.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 25, 2026
Man arrested over 2018 murder in Tokyo's Roppongi district
The suspect, Nobuaki Takahashi, had left for Malaysia the day after the 2018 murder.
Authorities are concerned that the spread of baseless information in the case of Yuki Adachi, whose father was arrested after the boy's body was found this month, could impede police investigations.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 25, 2026
Kyoto police warn of misinformation in case of arrested father and dead boy
Authorities are concerned that such baseless information circulating on social media could impede their investigation.
Naoko Mizunuma was arrested by Fukuoka police on Wednesday on suspicion of murdering her 4-year-old daughter at a mother-child support facility.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 24, 2026
Mother arrested on suspicion of killing daughter in Fukuoka
By Jessica Speed
Police are investigating whether the woman, 30, was involved in another daughter's death.
Plaintiffs head to the Oita District Court on Thursday ahead of the ruling in a lawsuit over whether unmanned stations operated by JR Kyushu violate the freedom of movement of people with disabilities.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 24, 2026
Oita court rules unmanned stations don't curb freedom of those with disabilities
The lawsuit was the first in Japan to take up the issue of whether such station operations constitute discrimination against people with disabilities.
Hideko Hakamata, of former death-row inmate Iwao Hakamata, speaks during a gathering in Tokyo in June to call for a revision of Japan's retrial system.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 24, 2026
Former death-row inmate's sister further denounces Japan¡¯s review of retrial system
Hideko Hakamata says she opposes the draft government bill, which seeks to ban the use of evidence disclosed during court proceedings on retrial petitions for any other purpose.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department has set up a special task force to intensify its crackdown on the Kohei-ikka, a Sumiyoshi-kai-affiliated designated crime group suspected of deepening its involvement with <i>tokuryš±</i> networks, including special fraud linked to illegal job schemes.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 23, 2026
Yakuza membership fell to record low in 2025
By Jessica Speed
Authorities attribute the decline to an aging population within the criminal groups, tighter enforcement and a nationwide rollout of anti-gang ordinances.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 23, 2026
Japanese scientist accused of putting chemicals in co-worker¡¯s water in U.S.
A staff researcher at the Influenza Research Institute of the University of Wisconsin-Madison is being prosecuted on charges including recklessly endangering safety.

The Japanese dietitian who keeps the Blue Jays¡¯ engines running
Sports dietitian Yuka Sanui works behind the scenes to ensure Blue Jays players get the most out of their bodies when they step on the field.
Head of U.S. military in South Korea calls for ¡®kill web¡¯ linking Seoul, Tokyo and Manila
U.S. Army Gen. Xavier Brunson (center), commander of U.S. Forces Korea, walks on a pontoon bridge with U.S. and South Korean Army soldiers during a U.S.-South Korea joint river-crossing exercise, part of the annual Freedom Shield joint military training, near the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas, in Yeoncheon, South Korea, on March 14.
Zoo employee admits to burning wife¡¯s body in incinerator
The incinerator at the Asahiyama Zoo in Hokkaido on Sunday
Magnitude 6.2 quake shakes Hokkaido
A magnitude 6.2 earthquake, measuring an upper 5 on Japan¡¯s seismic intensity scale, struck Hokkaido before 5:30 a.m. on Monday.
China holds live-fire drills in waters near Luzon as Japan joins military exercises in Philippines
Head of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Chief of Staff Romeo Brawner Jr., speaks during the opening ceremony of the U.S.-Philippines Balikatan joint military exercises, at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City, Metro Manila, on Monday.
Beyond the hub-and-spoke: Japan quietly emerges as a secondary connector
Commander of the Ground Self-Defense Force&#039;s Amphibious Rapid Deployment, Maj. Gen. Toshikatsu Musha, and commander of the Maritime Self-Defense Force&#039;s Amphibious and Mine Warfare Force, Rear Adm. Ikeuchi Izuru, attend the opening ceremony of the U.S.-Philippines Balikatan joint military exercises, in Quezon City, Metro Manila, on April 20.
The Japanese dietitian who keeps the Blue Jays¡¯ engines running
Sports dietitian Yuka Sanui works behind the scenes to ensure Blue Jays players get the most out of their bodies when they step on the field.
The American chef reconnecting with Japan through a Kyoto restaurant
SoNoMa chef partner Kyle Connaughton (right) and chef de cuisine Keita Tominaga both have ties to Sonoma County in Northern California, the restaurant¡¯s namesake. Connaughton rose to prominence there with SingleThread, while Tominaga¡¯s father ran a Japanese restaurant in the region.
Hokusai¡¯s erotic art on display at a Kabukicho noh theater
¡°The Dream of the Fisherman¡¯s Wife,¡± a rarely exhibited print by Hokusai, will be on display at the Shinjuku Kabukicho Noh Theater for a limited time, from May 1 to 10.?
Inkonbini: Slice-of-life, cozy gaming from Japan¡¯s convenience stores
Alongside the simplified management of a convenience store, Inkonbini asks players to help a small cast of regular shoppers with not only their shopping but problems in their personal lives.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

Projects like the BuddhaBot aim to re-create dialogue once lost to time, raising questions about whether AI can extend the teachings of Buddha or merely simulate them.
Can AI replace a priest? Japan¡¯s temples and shrines are testing the limits.
By Alex K.T. Martin

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